There Is No Lid on the Sea 海のふた
PRODUCTION NOTES
“There Is No Lid on the Sea” is the much anticipated film adaptation of the Banana Yoshimoto novel originally published as a newspaper serial from November 2003 to May 2004.
In the lead role of Mari is Akiko Kikuchi who also commands an enormous following among fashion-conscious men and women for her periodic “Mush” mook (magazine-book) series, for which she serves as editor-in-chief (270,000 copies sold).
Kikuchi plays the role of a young woman returning to her hometown from the big city to open up a shave ice shop, and embark upon a new life. The film co-stars Azusa Mine, whose first leading role came in the 2012 film “Signal: Luca on Mondays”, and now takes on the challenging role of a young burn victim girl dealing with both physical and emotional scars.
Also poised for a massive breakout is shave ice, which has been increasingly featured in TV and magazines.
The trend could be credited in part to a popular beach-side shave ice shop, “Noan” and its owner Kotaro Ishizuki who by redefining shave ice with inventive flavorings such as Japanese molasses and mandarin juice, created a shop that “people line up for even in mid-winter.” The sweet cold sting of shave ice is about to thaw a nation of frigid hearts.
Author Remark / Banana Yoshimoto
“My second home of Toi, Shizuoka was so beautifully captured in this film, and then to see the sincere performances of such wonderful actors at places that I and my family often visited; these things alone made me extremely happy.”
STORY
Mari leaves the city to return to her hometown.
There, she meets a troubled burn victim, Hajime.
Together, two girls find new life in a dying town.
Missing her hometown by the coast, Mari quits her job in the city and returns home to start a business making shave ice, a dessert she loves. One day, she finds herself taking in a spiritually and physically wounded young woman named Hajime, who has burn marks on her face and has recently lost her beloved grandmother. Mari takes Hajime on to help with the shop, but opens to very few customers. Mari senses a growing rift between her and the locals who have watched their town’s fortunes sour. This summer story is about two girls looking for a fresh start.
- Starring
- Akiko Kikuchi (菊池亜希子), Azusa Mine (三根梓), Yukichi Kobayashi (小林ユウキチ),
Orime Amagi (天衣織女), Keiichi Suzuki (鈴木慶一) - Original Story
- Banana Yoshimoto (Umi no Futa / Chuokoron-Shinsha, Inc.)
- Directed
- Keisuke Toyoshima (豊島圭介) (Softball Boys ’10, A Courtesan with Flowered Skin ’10)
- Written
- Hisako Kurosawa (黒沢久子)
- Japan release
- July 18, 2015
- Duration
- 84min.
- Genre
- Drama
- Technical Specs
- Color / 1:1.85 / Digital / 5.1ch